It can’t exactly be a happy time for Vancouver Canucks fans in some ways right now. For the second year in a row, the team was knocked out of the playoffs by the eventual Stanley Cup champion.

This time it is the LA Kings who have taken over the spotlight.

It is never fun to see a conference rival beat you out to the ultimate prize.

But is there a silver lining to this picture?

Well, it might just be in the fact that ex-Canuck Willie Mitchell(Read our NW Athlete Profile) was part of that group raising the cup on Monday evening.

He played four dedicated years for Vancouver from 2006-10 and was one of the most well respected players to ever be a part of the organization. However, he left under a literal and figurative cloud, as a long-term significant concussion influenced team management to not re-sign him with suspicions that he might not recover sufficiently.

The signings of Keith Ballard and Dan Hamhuis also made clear to Mitchell that his presence was no longer the priority for the Canucks top brass. And so, he signed as a free agent with LA.

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Born in Northern Ireland. Lived in Japan. Resides in BC. Followed the Canucks through thick and thin his entire life, while also trying to grow his Dave Babych moustache. He's a Seahawks 12th man, and since he's played the 'Beautiful Game' for 30+ years he's a Vancouver Whitecaps diehard as well. Connect with C-Mac today!Email: CMac@NWSportsBeat.comNWSB Facebook FanPageC-Mac's NWSB Forum ProfileSubscribe To C-Mac's Articles Via RSS On NWSBLike Something I wrote? Hate it? Hit me back today I want to hear from you!